Small business rates relief

Reduce your Business Rates bill by up to 100 per cent.

The Government announced in the budget on the 16th March 2016 that from 2017-18, Small Business Rate Relief will permanently double from 50% to 100%. The £6,000 and £12,000 thresholds will increase to £12,000 and £15,000 respectively. Therefore, those with rateable values below £12,000 that meet the eligibility criteria will receive 100% relief and those with rateable values between £12,000 and £15,000 will receive tapered relief.The threshold for the standard business rates multiplier will also increase from £18,000 to a rateable value of £51,000. Please note, these changes are only effective from 1st April 2017.

Current Scheme

Small Business Rates Relief came in to effect on 1 April 2005 and is a national discount scheme administered by the council on behalf of the Government. It is awarded on a sliding scale depending on the size of the Rateable Value (RV) of your business property. Please note, Small Business Rates Relief is only available for occupied properties.

The maximum discount is 100% for properties with rateable values of £12,000 and below. This means that qualifying businesses may have nothing to pay depending on your Rateable Value (RV). For properties with an RV between £12,000 and £15,000 the relief is tapered.

Qualifying properties with rateable values from £15,001 to £51,000 have their Business Rates automatically calculated using the lower multiplier.

Criteria for relief

Small Business Rates Relief is available to ratepayers who occupy either:

one property with a rateable value of £15,000 or less or

one main property and other additional properties providing the additional properties each have a rateable value of £2,899 or less and the total rateable value of all your properties is £19,999 or less.

Please Note - with effect from 14 February 2014 if a business takes on an additional property which would normally have meant the loss of small business rate relief, they will be allowed to keep the relief on their existing property for a period of 12 months providing the ratepayer`s occupation of the additional property started on a date after they occupied the main property.

If you are receiving small business rate relief then you must tell us if you occupy a new property anywhere in England or if there is an increase in the rateable value of any properties which you occupy that are outside Doncaster.

Applications may currently be backdated to the 1st April 2010 providing all the above criteria are met.

For a reduction to be awarded as far back as 1st April 2010 an application must be made within 6 months of the end of the current rating list to which it relates (i.e. by 30 September 2017 for all applications after 1 April 2010) or within six months of a change to the Non Domestic Rating List whichever is the later.

From the 1st October 2017, any entitlement to Small Business Rate Relief will only be backdated to whichever is the later of 1st April 2012 or a maximum of 6 years from the date of entitlement.